Labeling machine



Feb. 9, 1954 Filed Nov. 8, 1949 R. F. ZlMPEL 2,668,632

LABELING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. 5101mm) 1: Z/MPEZ ATTORNEYS R. F. ZIMPEL LABELING MACHINE Feb. 9, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 8, 1949 INVENTOR AM/MRD E Z/MPEZ 76 4.2%, M V Y 2- W ATTO NEYS Patented Feb. 9, 1954 LABELING MACHINE Richard F. Zimpel, Canajoharie, N. Y., assignor to Beech-Nut Packing Company, Canajoharic, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 8, 1949, Serial No. 126,133

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to labeling machines, and has special reference to machines for applying paper labels to cylindrical containers such as glass jars and tin cans, the labels having a coating of heat-sensitive or thermoplastic adhesive on one side thereof for securing the labels to the containers.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a labeling machine of this character which is simple in construction and efficient in operation.

The several features of the invention, whereby this and other objects may be attained, will be readily understood from the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

' Figure 1 is a front view of a machine embodying the features of the invention in their preferred form, certain parts of the machine being broken away to save space;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a front view, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the same with certain parts in section; and

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view, partly in ele vation, taken substantially on the line 55 of Fig.1.

The machine illustrated in the drawings is particularly adapted for applying labels 2 having a heat-sensitive or thermoplastic adhesive coating 'on one side which becomes tacky upon the application of heat, to cylindrical containers 4 such as glass jars and tin cans, the labels being applied about the cylindrical surfaces of the containers.

The labels may be stacked in a box or magazine 6 mounted on a bracket 8 that is secured to .an upright frame member it! of the machine. The forward end of the stack of labels is supported in the magazine by means of a rubber roller l2, having eccentric portions [4. The rear end of the stack of labels is supported upon a needlepoint IS on a block [8 that is secured by a screw to the magazine wall.

7 During each revolution of the eccentric roller [4, the bottom label 2 is torn from the needlepoint [6 and fed beneath a guide 22 to the peripheral surface of a drum 24. This drum is provided with suction means, hereinafter described, which retains the labels in position on the drum so that during the rotation of the drum and the feed roller I4, the labels are positioned on'the drum'end-to-end and spaced apart. The containers4 may be fedinto the machine at regularly spaced intervals by any suitable in- ;d exing device, such as a conveyor26 which may "be the conveyor of a jar drier. As shown, this conveyor passes over and is driven by a sprocket wheel 28 on a shaft 30 mounted in bearings 32 in brackets on the machine frame. The conveyor 26 is provided with lifts 34 which feed the containers 4 over an upwardly and forwardly inclined table or platform 36.

The shaft 30 also carries a pair of pulleys 38 over which V belts 40 pass, and also these belts pass over driving pulleys 42 that are carried by a shaft 44 mounted in beams on the machine frame. The shaft 4-4 drives the drum 24 through a sprocket chain 46 which passes over a sprocket wheel on said shaft and over a sprocket wheel on a shaft 43 which carries said drum. The V belts 40 and the lift conveyor 26 both travel at the same linear speed as the peripheral surface of the drum 24.

As the containers 4 reach the upper end of the platform 36 they pass from the lifts of the conveyor 26 on to a table 50 and are rolled over this table toward the drum 24 through contact therewith of the V belts 4D, the containers being maintained in the same spaced relationship as when they leave the conveyor 26.

The containers are thus successively presented to the peripheral surface of the rotating drum 24, and as they engage the drum they leave the belts 40 and through frictional contact with the drum are rolled over a resilient pad 52. This pad may be made of rubber, is mounted in a depression in the table 58, and is arranged concentrically of the drum.

The labels on the drum are so spaced with relation to the spacing of the containers, that after a container comes in firm contact with the drum, the continued rotation of the container causes it to engage a label, and as the adhesive on the label has previously been made tacky by heat as hereinafter described, the label is then transferred to the container. The resiliency of the pad 52 ensures firm and uniform adhesion of the labels to the containers as the containers pas over the pad.

As the containers leave the pad 52 they again come in contact with the belts 40 and are rolled thereby over the table 553 and from the machine.

The means for applying heat to the thermoplastic adhesive on the labels may comprise a gas burner 54. This burner is arranged above the drum and directs its flame down over the adhesive coating of the labels as they pass therebeneath. The burner 54 may be of the ribbon type with a pilot light, and any suitable means (not shown) may be provided for turning on and turning off the burner upon starting and stopping the machine; v As shown, this suction drum 24 is madeup of 3 A1" disks 55 of steel, and V8" annular disks 58 of aluminum arranged between the disks '56. The disks 56 and 58 are spaced apart by means of annular spacers 60 which surround bolts 62 that extend through apertures in the disk and hold them assembled.

The shaft 48 which drives the suction drum extends through the aluminum disks 58 and is flanged to the front steel disk 56 with its front end journaled in a bearing in a bracket 64 on the machine frame. extends through an enlarged aperture in the rear steel disk 56 and through'a bearing 56 in a frame Hi. This end of the shaft carries the sprocket wheel that is driven by said chain 43. Suction is applied to the drum through a rotary union 68 surrounding the shaft 43 and connected with a suction pipe 76).

With this construction of suction drum, a large volume of air at low vacuum may be drawn between the aluminum disks. This air creates sufiicient suction to firmly maintain the labels on the drum and, also, because of the large vol- .ume at low vacuum, adequate cooling of the drum is effected. Such cooling is of considerable practical importance, as unless the drum is maintained sufficiently cool, when the machine -is stopped the adhesive of the labels on the drum would be activated by conduction through the paper, and also the labels in the label box might tend to be activated if the machine stood still with a hot drum so near to them for any'length of time.

The label feed roller 12 is secured on the forward portionof a shaft #2 which extends through a bearing in the upright frame member It. This shaft is driven by a sprocket wheel M driven through a sprocket chain it from the shaft 4 3. The sprocket wheel carries the driving member 18 of a one revolution clutch, and the shaft carries the driven member 19 thereof, the clutch member being adapted to be connected and disconnected by means of a spring pressed detent as on the driving member which is adapted to engage and disengage in a slot in the driven member.

Normally the clutch EB-49 is closed so the label feed roller i2 is driven continuously from the shaft M. In case, however, one of'the lifts of the conveyor 2t fails to deliver a container so the feeding of the containers to the suction drum is interrupted, the clutch is opened for one revolution, so as to correspondingly interrupt the feeding of the label that would otherwise be applied to the container omitted from the conveyor. This ensures that all labels fed to the suction drum are properly applied to containers.

Toprovide for this, a microswitch 82 is mounted in a recess in the inclined table 35, and an operating lever at slightly longer'than the pitch distance between the containers on the conveyor 26, is held down when there is a continual line of containers. Should there be one or more containers missing, the switch lever 84 rises making an electric contact so as to activate a solenoid v86 mounted on the back of the frame member Iii. The core 88 of the solenoid has a clutch release member 98 secured on its lower end which, when the solenoid is energized, is projected to retract the clutch detent 8E and thus disconnect the clutch member E8 and 19. When the clutch .is thus released, the label feed roller 12 is immediately stopped due to a leaf-spring 92 that bears at all times on the driven clutch, member The other end of the shaft,

de-energized by the switch lever 84, a spring 94 having one end connected to the upper end of the core 88 serves to retract the clutch release member 90. The shaft 4 8 may be driven from a motor (not shown) on the machine through a sprocket chain 98 that passes over a sprocket wheel Hill thereon. A brush or comb 102 may be positioned ahead of the label feed for brushing off any label which might accidently miss being applied on a container.

It will be apparent that my improved machine is simple in construction and capable of operating at high speed. Since the label itself carries the adhesive, there is no problem of synchronizing the label with a spot of applied glue, and instead of it being necessary to use a Wrap-around label, the label may be only large enough to carry the identifying message, which is desirable especially in the case of glass jars so that as much of the product may show through the glass-as possible.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for applying .labels to cylindrical containers of the class described, thelabelshaving heat-sensitive adhesive on one side thereof, having, in combination, a rotatable drum adapted to receive the labels on the peripheral .surface thereof with the labels arranged end-to-end and spaced apart and with the adhesive side of the labels outermost during the rotation of the drum in one direction, said drum comprising a plurality of annular disks arranged side by side and spaced apart, suction means for drawing air inwardly from between said disks so as to cause the labels to be retained on said surface of the drum during the rotation of the drum in said direction, means operated in timed relation to said label feeding means for feeding containers one behind the other and spaced apart to present their cylindrical surfaces to the peripheral surface of the drum, a support for :receiving the containers as they engage the drum and over which they are rolled through frictional contact between them :and the drum, and means for applying heat to the adhesive *on the labels previously to the labels reaching the pointso'f contact between the containers and the drum to cause the labels to be adhesively secured about the cylindrical surfaces of the containers.

2. A machine for applying labels to cylindrical containers of the class described, the labels having heat-sensitive adhesive on one .side thereof, having, in combination, a horizontally rotatable drum adapted to receive the labels on the peripheral surface thereof with the labels arranged end to end and spaced apart and with the adhesive sides of the labels outermost, means for thus feeding the labels to the drum, suction means for causing th labels to be retained on said surface of the drum during the rotation of the drum in one direction, a support positioned belowthe peripheral surface of the drum over which the cylindrical container are adapted "to be rolled one behind the other and spaced apart successively into contact with the peripheral surface of the drum whereby upon such engagement of the containers with the drum they are rolled through frictional contact between them and said support and said drum until they pass the peripheral surface of the drum, the ends of said cylindrical containers projecting a distance beyond the ends of the drum, two endles belts arranged at opposite sides of said drum with th lower stretches thereof engaging the ends of the cylin 19 and serves as a brake. When the solenoid is drical surfaces of the containers so as to feed the containers to the drum and as each container leaves the drum to feed the container away from the drum by frictional contact between them and the containers, means for driving the drum and said belts so as to cause the outer surfaces of the lower stretches of the belts and the peripheral surface of said drum to travel at substantially the same speed, and means for applying heat to the adhesive on the labels successively previously to the labels reaching the point of contact between the containers and the drum to cause the labels to be adhesively secured about the cylindrical surfaces of the containers.

3. A machine for applying labels to cylindrical containers of the class described, the labels having heat-sensitive adhesive on one side thereof, having, in combination, a horizontally rotatable drum adapted to receive the labels on the peripheral surface thereof with the labels arranged end to end and spaced apart and with the adhesive sides of the labels outermost, means for rotating the drum in one direction, means for thus feeding the labels to the drum, suction means for causing the labels to be retained on said surface of the drum during the rotation of the drum in said direction, a support over which the cylindrical containers are adapted to be rolled one behind the other and spaced apart successively into engagement with the peripheral surface of the drum whereby upon such engagement of the containers with the drum they are rolled through frictional contact between them and said support and said drum until they pass the peripheral surface of the drum, means for thus rolling the containers on said support until they engage said surface of the drum, and means for applying heat to the adhesive on the labels successively previously to the labels reaching the point of engagement between the containers and the drum so as to cause the labels to be adhesively secured about the cylindrical surfaces of the containers as the containers are rolled through frictional contact with the drum.

4. A structure according to claim 3 in which said means for rolling the containers into engagement with the peripheral surface of th drum causes the containers to be rolled at substantially the same peripheral speed as the peripheral surface of the drum.

RICHARD F. ZIMPEL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 23,512 Von Hofe June 10, 1952 781,333 Edson Jan, 31, 1905 1,078,7 3 Dodge Nov. 18, 1913 1,328,733 Harriss Jan. 20, 1920 1,660,467 Anderson Feb. 28, 1928 1,672,412 Hitchcock June 5, 1928 1,719,406 Townsend July 2, 1929 1,998,615 Groven Apr. 23, 1935 2,050,455 Ohlsen et a1 Aug. 11, 936 2,129,686 Gray Sept. 13, 1938 2,247,623 Von Hofe July 1, 1941 2,525,741 Von Hofe Oct. 10, 1950 

